Live For The Night
by Em-x. everlasting
Summary: Natalie grew up with her father, but when his business isn't working out, it's decided that she should spend some quality time with her mother and twin. What will happen when the wild child moves to Stars Hollow?


**Live For The Night**

 **Summary:** Natalie grew up with her father, but when his business isn't working out, it's decided that she should spend some quality time with her mother and twin. What will happen when the wild child moves to Stars Hollow?

 **A/N:** I'm starting this story when Christopher comes in, but will then backtrack because there are a lot of scenes before this episode that I really want Natalie to be a part of. It's just too late into the storyline to write her in how I want her too.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gilmore Girls.

Chapter 1

Dad and I had just gotten into Stars Hollow and were riding around town when I spotted mom and Rory. I tapped dad on the shoulder and pointed to where they were. He rode around and parked on the street near them as they turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Dad called as we got off.

"Hi." Mom replied as she and Rory turned back around.

"Nice shirt. Take it off." Mom stared at him, astounded, and watched as we took off our helmets.

"Christopher." She muttered in monotone voice.

"Dad!" Rory shouted as she dropped whatever she was holding and ran over to hug our father.

"Jeez, thanks sis, I feel the love." I joke as I roll my eyes.

"Come here, Nat. I can give you love." Mom says, holding her arms out as I walk over, giving her a big hug. "I've missed you, little girl." "I've missed you too mom."

"This is great! What are you doing here?" Rory exclaimed as mom and I walked towards the pair her arm around my shoulder and mine around her waist.

"I'm here to see you. And your mom, who's not saying anything about as loud as a person can."

"Hello."

"A word. Perhaps there's a phrase in my future." Dad jokes. He looks behind mom and me and asks, "Okay, why is that man staring at me?"

I looked over my shoulder as Rory explains, "That's Taylor Doose. He owns the market. He knows all and sees all."

"So, um, what's with the just showing up, Mr. Spontaneity Guy?" mom questions.

"Well, my folks are back in Connecticut, so Nat and I are here to see them and on the way we thought we'd stop by and surprise the Gilmore girls. Are you surprised?"

"The teeniest feather could knock me in the gutter." Mom says with a smile I know is bound to be fake.

"So where would somebody find a place to stay around here?" dad asks.

"Stay? Really? You're staying?" Rory asks excitedly.

"I'm thinking about it."

"Stay with us!"

"Um, sweetie." Mom interjects.

"I don't think your mom wants–"

"No, no, no. It's not that. It's just that I'm still surprised."

"Mom, please?" Rory pleads.

Mom lets out a quick by heavy sigh and looks down at me and squeezes my shoulder before looking back up at dad and saying, "Why don't you stay with us for a couple of days?" I knew she wasn't hesitant about having me around, dad, however, was a completely different story.

"Thanks, Lor, you won't even know I'm there." He looks at Rory, her face radiating happiness. "Hey, hop on." He says as he turns towards the Indian. "Hop off." Mom says.

"Hop on."

"Hop off."

"C'mon Lorelai."

"Hope on." Moms caves reluctantly. Rory puts on my helmet and hops on behind dad as he starts the engine and they take off. Mom shakes her head as we watch them disappear. "Christopher." She whispers and looks at me again. "I'm so happy to have you here!" she says to me as we begin to walk to the house.

"I'm so happy to be here!"

* * *

By now, evening had come, I was in Rory's room, unpacking a few things while Rory was currently setting up a make-shift bed on the couch for dad.

"We ordered Chinese food. It should be here any minute." I hear Rory tell dad as I walk out of her – sometimes our – room.

"Good, I'm starving." Dad applauses.

"Nat still likes it?" Mom questions as she hands dad a cup.

"Natalie could live off Chinese food. In fact, I'm pretty sure she has for at least a week."

"Hey, how is Diane?" Rory asks.

"Uh, Diane is ancient history." Dad tells her as I drop down onto a chair.

"When I met her at Easter, you said she could be the one."

"Yeah, the one to be gone by Memorial Day." I chime in.

"You're worse than Mom." Rory jokes.

"Low blow." Mom exclaims.

"Can't keep a fella happy?" dad asks her.

"Oh, I keep them happy. I keep them very happy."

"Okay, don't get gross." Rory pitches in to stop them before they took it too far and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her innocence.

"Yeah, you're upsetting us." I side with her.

"I'm gonna go study before the food gets here." she tells us as she folds a blanket.

"What? Tomorrow's Saturday." Dad exclaims.

"I know. I like to get my weekend homework done and out of the way by Saturday night so then I can do extra-credit stuff on Sunday." Rory explains "Nat, wanna come? We could catch up."

"Sure. Nothing like twin bonding time."

* * *

"Jeez! That's a lot of books for homework. How is your back not broken?" I exclaim as Rory pulls out all her books.

"Believe me, it's about to be. I thought you've been to schools like Chilton, though?" she asks me.

"I have."

"Do you not get as much homework?"

"Oh, no, we do." I tell her

"Then why are you surprised?"

"Because you're actually gonna do all of it."

"You don't?" She looks at me appalled.

"Eh, sometimes."

"My sister, the slacker." She says bluntly

"My sister, the goody-goody." I taunt back, sticking my tongue out.

"Oh, no you too!" she groans.

"What?"

"You called me a goody-goody!"

"Yeah. So?"

"My first day at Chilton, everybody called me Mary. Mom said it was because they thought I looked like a goody-goody."

"You do and you are." I tell her sympathetically. "So, like Virgin Mary?" I ask, laughter seeping through my voice. She nods, frustration showing on her face. "Oh my God, Rory!"

"Can we move on, please?"

"Sure. Tell me more about Chilton."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Everything. Tell me all the dirty little secrets Chilton has to offer." I wink at her and she laughs.

"Well, as you can see, they give you enough homework to kill you, or at least have major back problems when you're older. It's every kind of 'no exceptions' and all the classes are filled with intensity. The students are your typical privileged, society-raised students. A lot of gossip, and the 'who-knows-who' and 'when's the next party'. I really don't how people can be so cruel and shallow." She divulged as she flipped through her AP English book. I stared at her until she looked up with questioning eyes.

"What…? Oh! Oh, God. I'm sorry! I forgot. I didn't mean–!" she splutters.

"So you don't think I'm one of those shallow, snooty, privileged type of kids?"

"No! Of course not."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"I was just teasing you, you know?" I tell her.

"Oh." She huffs, then glares at me. "Mean."

"Yeah, yeah."

"So, um, how many prep schools have you been to?"

"Eight. Might be nine depending on how things go." I reveal.

"Wow."

"I know."

* * *

"So which is your Dean." Dad asks the next morning as we walk towards the baseball field. Rory had invited us to watch a softball game. I had never pictured Rory interested in anything having to do with sports, but when she said she wanted to introduce us to Dean, it made perfect sense.

"That's him over there." Rory said, pointing to the one walking up to plate, getting ready to swing.

"Cute." I hummed in approval.

"I thought so." Rory said simply before pointing to the guy throwing the pitches. "That's Luke." She told dad. I distinctively remember how much I lived at his diner whenever I visited. A girl can never have too much coffee.

"The diner guy?" dad asks.

"Yes, mom and I eat there practically every day."

The two men took turns talking smack before someone behind starting shouting at them.

"How long do these games last?" dad asks Rory, thoroughly amused.

"Till they get tired. And then they say the first team to get a run wins." She tells him.

After a few minutes, the guy behind us – whose name I learned was Kirk – ran off as Luke got fed up and started walking towards us. In Luke doing so, Dean took the chance to run over. "Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Rory replied. "Dean, this is my dad and twin sister Natalie. Natalie, Dad, this is Dean."

"Nice to meet you." He says politely as he shakes dads' hand.

"Same here." Dad replies as Dean moves to shake my hand.

"Have you lived here long? I don't remember seeing you around when I've visited before." I ask him.

"Uh, no, I just moved here this year."

"Just checking."

"No problem. So, do you live in the area." He asked.

"No, we had some time so Nat and I rode my bike out from Berkeley." Dad explains.

"Really? What do you got?" Dean asks, excitement in his voice.

"A 2000 Indian." Rory tells him.

"I got an '86 Suzuki."

"Nice." Dad compliments.

"Yeah."

"Dean, come on!" Luke shouts.

"I gotta go. I'll see you later." Dean says to Rory as he starts to move back. "It was nice meeting you."

Rory, Dad and I all smile at each other as we sit down.

"So that was a Dean?" dad comments.

"That was a Dean."

"He seems nice. I approve, sis." I tell Rory as I nudge her in the side.

* * *

"Hey, Luke." I greet as I walk into the diner, sitting at the table I know mom and Rory have come to frequent.

"Natalie." He say, walking over to me. "Want anything?"

"Coffee, please." I tell him with a smile.

"Anything else?"

"Nope."

"You're tiny."

"Then I'll take a muffin, too, please." I say as mom walks through the door and comes over and sits next to me.

"Hey, kid, where's the other two?"

"Rory's showing Dad around town. I thought since I already know the way, I'd come get some coffee and wait for you." I tell her.

"Oh, sweetie, you didn't have to do that."

"It's fine, I wanted too. Besides, I wanted to ask you something…"

"Uh oh, go on."

"I –"

"Coffee, for the addicts, and a muffin, for the tiny one."

"Thanks Luke." We chime simultaneously as he walks away.

"I wanted to know how you would feel if I came to live with you." I elaborate, my voice tight. I wasn't used to being this nervous.

"Live? Here? With us? Like in Stars Hollow?" she stutters.

"Well, yeah." My voice was becoming tremulous now. I took a deep breath before speaking in a rush. "I mean, I don't really care either way. It's just – I mean, I missed you guys, and I thought it would be nice or whatever. It's just that dad's beginning to get really busy now and the school I go to is far enough away to make it a hassle 'cause it's not a boarding school this time and the other one in Cali, although it is a boarding school, it's almost six hours away, and to be honest I really didn't like it as much as the others I've been to. Here, though, I'd still go to a school both sets of grandparents would approve of and I'd get to spend so much more time with you and Rory. But it's completely fine if you don't want me to move here, I'd get it –"

"No! No, that's not it at all. I just needed a second to process." Mom interrupted me. "So, Stars Hollow."

"Stars Hollow." I echo.

"Guess that means were gonna have to find a more permanent space for you, huh?"

"Wait, is that a yes?"

"Well, yeah, it's not like I could say no." she jokes.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I exclaim as I hug her tightly. When I pull back I say, "Just one thing."

"I have to make room for you and now you want something else from me? What is it?"

"Don't tell Rory just yet. I want to surprise her."

"I'm sure she'll love the news, Nat." she tells me with a smile as Rory and dad walk in. He looks me in the eyes and mouths, ' _did you ask?_ ' and I nod slightly.

"Hey." She quips.

"Hi, where were you?" mom questions.

"Well, we saw Al's Paraguayan Pancake House." Dad tells her. "We were stalked by townspeople, and apparently, I look like Billy Crudup."

"You do not." Mom scoffs.

"Take it up with Jackson." He rebuttals as his cell starts to ring, causing mom to chid at him and gesture towards the ' _No Cell Phones_ ' sign Luke had behind the counter, but dad answers anyways.

"Hello." He inquires. "Emily!"

"Hi, Grandma." Rory and I chime.

"Actually, I'm sitting here with your girls. Sure. She wants to speak to you." Dad tells mom as he passes his cell to her and Rory and Dad begin to look through the menu.

"Hi, Mom. Huh, what? I didn't know." She exclaims, sarcasms leaking through her voice. "Coincidently, I'm sitting across from an amazing Christopher hologram."

I tune out as I begin to eat my muffin, but snap my head up when she mentions the Haydens.

"Join us all." Mom questions, and I can tell she's uncomfortable with whatever she's hearing. "That's quite a gathering, Mom."

My stomach goes into knots. Both grandparents and both parents in a room together, nothing good could come out of this.

* * *

Rory and I stood behind mom and dad, staring at the door that, too nervous to enter.

"I've gotta see my parents." Mom mutters.

"I've gotta see my parents." Dad echos, both voices equally aggravated mixed with distain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the drama king and queen of Connecticut." Rory announces and it motivates mom to walk forward and unlock the door with her key.

"Hello, anybody home?" she calls out once inside.

"Oh, my god, you're here." Grandma says when she walks out and sees us.

"Christopher, look at you." She coaxes as she hugs him.

"Emily, as always, perfect." Dad sweet-talks back and she moves onto me.

"Natalie, dear, how wonderful to see you!" she wraps me in a hug then pulls back and looks me over. "I like what you did with your hair."

"Nothing what a little patience, a curling iron and a roommate couldn't do." I joke and she laughs.

"How is Flintridge going?" she asks.

"Quite good, actually. I've joined the newspaper as well as the literary magazine and I'm a member of the National French Honor Society as well as the Spanish National Honor Society."

"Very good."

"I even snuck into the Latin Club."

"That's wonderful, your grandfather will be happy to hear that."

"Suck up." Mom mutters under her breath and I stick my tongue out at her as Grandma turns to look at her.

"What was that, Lorelai?"

"Nothing!"

Grandma turns back to address dad and me, "I am so glad to see you. I didn't hear the doorbell."

"We didn't ring the doorbell." Mom explains.

"You let yourselves in?"

"It's okay, Mom. Look, not a rapist among us."

"Hi, Grandma." Rory chimes.

"You usually knock."

"Not since you gave us a key."

"Thank you." I whisper to the maid that takes my coat and she nods in reply.

"That's for emergencies."

"Mom, I'm starving to death. Is that enough of an emergency for you?"

Grandma waves mom off and looks at the rest of us. "Richard's in the living room. Come on in. he's dying to see you."

She leads us into the living room, Rory and I following quickly as mom and dad trail a little further behind as mom rants about the key.

"Here they are!" Grandpa exclaims once he sees us.

"Hi, Grandpa."

"Hello, Rory." He greets, kissing her on the cheek.

"Hi, Grandpa."

"Natalie." He says and does the same, but I squeeze in a hug too. "Good to see you again dear."

"Lorelai. Christopher, old boy, how are you? My gosh, it's good to see you."

"How are you Richard?"

"Well, I'm better than most. Not as good as some."

"And annoyed with all." Dad adds.

"You speak the truth, young man." Grandpa laughs. "I have made martinis." He announces and walks over to hand them out.

"So, Christopher, tell me about your business."

"Oh, Richard, let the poor boy relax." Grandma quips.

"I simply want to find out how it's going. Make sure he's doing right by my granddaughter."

"It's going great." Dad says. "I'm almost afraid to jinx it by telling you how good it's going."

"That is wonderful. I always knew you had it in you." Grandpa congratulates and I avoid dad's eyes as he sits down next to me while grandpa continues. "You have a splash of greatness, as my mother would say. You always had that splash of greatness."

"I'd like another splash of greatness if you don't mind." Mom voices and gets up to go over to the bar.

"Oh, Richard, aren't Natalie and Rory the spitting image of Christopher?" grandma muses.

Grandpa nods. "I just hope you both inherit your father's business sense also."

"I don't know about business skills but Nat took this law course at one of her schools."

"Really? How did you do?" grandpa asks, looking at me, a slight smile on his face.

"An A the whole way through." I say with a smile and both Grandma and Grandpa smile back, pleased with my answer.

"I know one thing for sure. You both certainly have your father's musical talent." Grandma tries to compliment.

I laugh quietly as mom sits back down. "Oh, wait just a minute." She says.

"What?"

"Mom, Nat's the only one who can play an instrument in this family. Neither of those two have any musical talent."

"Hey, I play the guitar." Dad interjects.

"You know the opening lick to Smoke On The Water."

"And I've since mastered the opening lick to Jumpin' Jack Flash."

"I can vouch for that." I voice.

"I'm a Chuck Berry man myself." Grandpa professes. Mom chokes on her drink as he speaks. "Something wrong?"

"I'd never have guessed that that last sentence would ever come out of your mouth."

"And why not? "

"Chuck Berry?"

"Yes, Chuck Berry. He was all the rage when I was in school."

"Ah, so we're talking pre _My Ding-A-Ling_?"

"I believe I am."

I silently laugh with Rory as the adults go on the reminisce about some show mom and dad put on when they were younger, though I immediately tense up when the doorbell rings.

"That would be Straub and Francine." Grandma says as she gets up to go to the door.

"Your turn." Mom taunts dad.

"Haven't seen your parents for quite a number of years. We were practically inseparable for a while." Grandpa recounts.

"I remember that." Dad says, loosening his tie.

"This is weird." Rory speaks up. "These are my other grandparents. I don't even know them. What do I call them?"

"Call them what I call them." Dads proposes, still messing with his tie. "Ass –"

"Chris." Mom cuts him off, shaking her head.

"Sorry, my tie is too tight."

"Just call them Straub and Francine." Mom offers, then rethinks it. "Call the Mr. and Mrs. Hayden. Sir and ma'am. Just avoid calling them anything."

"Look who's here." Grandpa announces as he walks back into the room and we all stand up.

"Hello, Mother, Pop." Dad greets.

"Christopher." My paternal grandfather greets with a smile, shaking dads hand.

"Christopher, hello." Grandma greets, fixing his tie.

"Hi, grandma. Hi, grandpa." I chime, hugging them both.

"Natalie, dear. Always good to see you." Grandma says.

"I just received an update of your marks so far, your top of your class, I hope you can keep it up at Chilton."

"I'll do my best, grandpa."

"You're going to Chilton?" Rory questions.

"Surprise." I hum, smiling at her and she hugs me.

"C'mon, dad, I promised her no school talk for the next few days."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayden, long time no see." Mom jumps in before anything can happen.

"Lorelai, you look well." Francine greets her.

"I am, thanks. You remember Rory. You haven't seen her in quite a while."

"No, we haven't." Straub says, looking Rory over.

"I think she was just beginning to speak in complete sentences." Francine comments

"So not for two years then." Mom tries to joke, making the atmosphere tenser. "She's obviously been talking for a long time so I was making a humorous comment sometimes referred to as a joke."

"I see you haven't changed, Lorelai." Straub says with a slight sneer but alas a small, tight smile on his face as he look at Rory.

"No, not at all."

"Rory, hello." Francine greets with a smile.

"Hi." She replies. Mom and I snicker when she bobs.

"Did you just curtsy?" mom asks.

"Shut up." She mutters under her breath.

"Sorry, milady."

"Straub, Francine, how about a martini?" Richard suggests.

"Please."

"Well, Straub, how is retirement treating you?" Richard asks as they both make their way to the bar while the rest of us sit down.

"Yes, do tell us about the Bahamas." Emily adds.

"You can get an entire island there for the cost of a decent house here."

"Really?"

"How about you, Richard? Any thoughts of retirement on your mind?"

"Oh, Straub, if only you could talk him into it. I've given up." Emily remarks.

"We're very pleased about Christopher's business success out in California." Richard says as they both come over and take a seat.

"Yes, it's taken a while, but it seems to be finally coming together." Straub states. "Seems to be."

"Christopher, your tie, please." Francine reprimands as dad messes with his tie again.

"Straub and… Mr. and Mrs…. Are you enjoying your time here… you two?" Rory stutters out.

"That she got from you." Dad whispers to mom.

"How old are you, young lady?" Straub inquires.

"16." She tells him, her voice going higher when she speaks.

"A dangerous age for girls."

"Straub." Francine cautions.

"Rory is a very special child. Excellent student, very bright." Emily boasts.

"You should have a talk with her. She could give you a run for your money." Richard tells him.

"Is that so?"

"That's right." Emily chimes and everyone turns to look at Rory, who you can tell by the look on her face, would rather be anywhere but here at the moment.

"Well I think my money is safe." Straub decides.

"I hate President Bush." Mom announces, trying to get the attention off of Rory.

"What?"

"Lorelai."

"Oh, boy."

"He's stupid." Mom continues. "And his face is too tiny for his head. I just wanna toss him out."

"That is the leader of our country, young lady." Straub scolds.

"Ignore her." Richard implores.

"'His face is too tiny for his head,' what kind of a thing is that to say?" Francine asks.

"I see your daughter's just as out of control as ever, Richard."

"Pop, please. Let's try and keep it civil." Dad chimes in.

"What have you been doing with your life, anyway, besides hating successful businessmen? I'm just curious."

"Why don't we all go into the dining room?" Emily suggests.

"Well, uh, Straub. I run an inn near Stars Hollow." Mom tells him.

"Really."

"Yes, really?"

"Dad, come on." Dad insists.

"Nice to see you found your calling."

"Dinner's ready." Emily tries to cut in, once again her attempt at trying to deter the conversation is unsuccessful.

"Christopher, your tie."

"Mom, please."

"And is your life everything you hoped it would be?" Straub ask mom, clearly not going to stop saying what he wants to say, not matter how this ends.

"Yes, it is."

"Because it seems you night not want to take quite such a haughty tone when you announce to the world that you work in a hotel."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with where I work."

"Straub, please, I'm getting a headache." Francine chime tiredly.

"Come on, Richard, lead us into the dining room now." Emily hints at him, but Straub wasn't finished.

"If you'd attended university as your parents had planned and as we had in vain for Christopher, you might have aspired to more than a blue-collar position."

"Don't do this." Dad begs.

"I wouldn't give a damn about you derailing your own life if you hadn't swept my son along with you."

"Why don't you two go in the next room? Go, go." Mom suggests to Rory and I. We both get up and make to move out of the room.

"Stay where you are, Natalie." Straub demands and I sit back down.

"I'm going to have to echo Christopher's call for civility here." Richard says, speaking up for the first time throughout all this. "A mutual mistake was made many years ago by these two. But they've come a long way since."

"A mutual mistake?" Straub huffs. "This whole evening is ridiculous. We're supposed to sit her like one big happy family and pretend the damage that was done is over? Gone? I don't care how good a student you say that girl is. Our son was bound for Princeton. Every Hayden male attended Princeton including myself. But it all stopped with Christopher. And every though Natalie will be continuing the Hayden line, let's face it, she's not a boy, so it really has no merit. It's a humiliation we've had to live with every day all because you seduced him into ruining his life. She had those girls and ended his future."

"Go." Dad whispers in my ear, squeezing my shoulder in support as does mom with my hand. We've all heard this before, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.

"You recant that." Richard fumes as I get up and leave.

* * *

I find Rory in the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Hey." I sigh and I sit next to her.

"Is he always like that?" she asks me.

"Not always, just on occasion. I think all of us together kind off set him off."

"Oh."

We were silent for a few minutes before she spoke up again. "Are you really going to Chilton?"

"Yeah. I start next week."

"Where are you going to stay?"

"With you."

"In Stars Hollow?"

"Yeah. I already discussed this with mom. I was going to surprise you but…"

"Yeah. But this is great, I mean, your moving to Stars Hollow! Are you staying this time?"

"I'm set to hopefully finish out the rest of high school."

"I'm really happy."

"Good. I was hoping you would be. Otherwise this would have been very awkward." I laugh and we were both silent again.

"There you girls are. I was wondering where you went." Emily says as she walks into kitchen.

"Sorry." Rory tells her.

"No, it's nothing to be sorry about. Can I get you both something?"

"I'm fine," We say at the same time, Rory holds up the soda can she had in front of her.

"That's hardly dinner." Grandma opens up the fridge and looks through it, taking out some leftovers. "Well, that was quite a bit of excitement tonight."

"Oh, yeah."

"Not the good kind."

"Nope." I sigh.

"None of this means anything, girls."

"We know." Rory tells her.

"Straub is actually a good man, very smart. He was one of the top lawyers in his field. A very arcane aspect of international law. And he's always been so active in his community. His charity work has never diminished over the years." She says, trying to assure us, more Rory than me. "Oh, let's face it, he's a big ass."

That gets Rory to laugh. "I know you both heard a lot of talk on various disappointments this evening. And I know you've both heard a lot of talk about it in the past. But I want to make this very clear. Neither of you, your persons' and your existence have never ever been, not even for a second, included in that list. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah, I do." Rory says as I nod.

"Good. Now eat up."

* * *

"So, where were you guys?" Rory questions mom and dad on the drive back.

"Nowhere." Mom answers.

"Where's nowhere?"

"Where we were." Dad chimes and the silence in the car continued.

"I don't want to go to Princeton." I announce.

"I know." Dad sighs.

"You do?"

"Since you were in fourth grade."

"Oh."

* * *

"Good night, Rory." Dad says as we walk into the house.

"Good night, Dad."

"Good night, Lor."

"Good night, yeah, uh… You have a really good night." She tells him as she pats him on the shoulder and kisses my forehead. Dad wraps his arm around my shoulder and steers me towards the couch he's sleeping on.

"You know what I'm going to say."

"Yeah."

"And even though ignoring it doesn't make it hurt less."

"That's what I'm going to do anyways." I say as he hugs me.

"I'm sorry, Nat."

"It's not your fault, Dad." We were silent for a few minutes. "Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you know that I didn't want to go to Princeton?"

"Your fourth grade teacher gave me a Yale package on parents' night."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So all these years, you just kept lying to him?"

"More like avoiding the truth."

"Well, thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

"So calls us when you get home." Rory says to dad the next morning as we stand outside, ready to say goodbye.

"I will."

"And call more."

"I will." Dad laughs and hugs her, kissing her forehead then whispering, "See ya."

I hug him next. "Bye dad." He hugs me tight and kisses my forehead as well, then whispers in my ear. I turn to look at mom. "Dad wants to know if you'll reconsider." I ask her for him. She sighs as she smiles then whispers in Rory's ear.

"She says, 'Nope, Offspring sucks and Metallica rules.'" Rory answers.

"Fair enough." Dad declares as he walks up to say goodbye to mom.

"Drive safe." She tells him.

"I'll ship Nat's stuff when I get back."

And with that, he gets on his bike and rides off.


End file.
